ALAYAM Publishing

What ALAYAM Publishing does

ALAYAM Publishing, formally Al Ayam Foundation for Press and Publishing (مؤسسة الأيام للصحافة والنشر), is a Bahraini media institution headquartered in Manama and founded in 1989 by a group of young Bahraini media professionals. The company is distinctive in the regional media landscape because it is owned and managed by its own employees, a structure the source material describes as a pioneering cooperative model in the Arab world. It operates as a general-interest Arabic-language news outlet serving Arabic-speaking audiences primarily in Bahrain and the broader Gulf region, with a stated presence across the GCC and Middle East.

The company's product portfolio centers on a daily print newspaper (currently at issue 13,622 as of July 25, 2026) and a multi-platform digital ecosystem. The digital stack includes the alayam.com news website, native iOS and Android mobile applications, a WhatsApp news channel, RSS feeds segmented by news category (local, international, economy, sports, variety, writers' articles), an email newsletter service via subscribe.alayam.com, and a daily ePaper PDF edition with 17 pages covering all sections. Themed supplements — including educational, Ramadan, real estate, Panaroma magazine, and achievement reports — are also published as PDFs. Content is organized into sections covering local Bahraini affairs, international news, economy, sports, technology, health, courts, and variety content.

The revenue model is built on two streams: paid print and digital subscriptions (annual billing cadence disclosed, specific pricing not publicly available) and advertising placements on both the website and the print edition. Distribution is direct-to-consumer, relying on organic content marketing and multi-platform reach rather than enterprise sales. No external parent company, parent organization, or private equity ownership is identified in the source data; the foundation operates independently under its employee-ownership model.

Name

ALAYAM Publishing

Legal name

Al Ayam Foundation for Press and Publishing (مؤسسة الأيام للصحافة والنشر)

Website

https://alayam.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1989

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

501–1,000 employees

Short description

ALAYAM Publishing is a Bahraini, employee-owned Arabic-language newspaper founded in 1989, publishing daily print and digital editions across web, iOS/Android, WhatsApp, RSS, and ePaper for Arabic-speaking readers in Bahrain and the Gulf region.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Newspaper Publishing

NAICS

Newspaper Publishers (51311), Periodical Publishers (513120), Newspaper, Periodical, Book, and Directory Publishers (5131)

SIC

Newspapers: Publishing Or Publishing & Printing (2711), Services-Advertising (7310)

akta.pro primary industry

Community, Ethnic & Multilingual News Publishers (MPAJADAG)

Keywords

• Arabic newspaper publishing
• Daily news media
• Print and digital journalism
• News content distribution
• Bahraini news coverage

Headquarters

HQ city

Manama

HQ country

Bahrain

HQ region

Middle East

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Digital Commerce or Content

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Supply Chain

Revenue model

1. Print and Digital Subscriptions: The company generates revenue through paid subscriptions for both print newspaper copies and digital access to the website and e-paper content. Subscription service is available through subscribe.alayam.com
2. Advertising: Revenue generated from advertising placements on the website and print edition. The site features an 'Advertise with Us' section indicating active advertising operations

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels4 records

Core offering

ALAYAM Publishing (Al Ayam Foundation for Press and Publishing) is a Bahraini newspaper publisher founded in 1989 that produces daily Arabic-language news content across categories including local affairs, international news, economy, sports, technology, health, courts, and variety. It distributes content through a daily print edition, a website (alayam.com), an ePaper/PDF digital edition, native iOS and Android mobile applications, a WhatsApp channel, RSS feeds, and email newsletter subscriptions.

Product overview

ALAYAM Publishing operates a multi-platform news media portfolio consisting of the core Alayam.com website providing 24/7 online news coverage, a daily ePaper PDF edition with 17 pages, native iOS and Android mobile applications, RSS feed services for content syndication, WhatsApp channel distribution, and email newsletter subscription. The company also publishes themed supplements including educational, real estate, and commemorative editions. The product ecosystem covers local Bahraini news, Gulf regional coverage, international affairs, economy, sports, technology, health, courts, and variety content.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Al Ayam ePaper (النسخة الورقية): Daily print edition of Al Ayam newspaper available in PDF format
• Al Ayam Mobile App

Products and services

• Alayam.com News Website

Segments1 record

Ideal customer profiles1 record

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Scale indicators2 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights4 records

Broad incumbents

• Al Arabiya: Major pan-Arab news brand based in the UAE, comparable as a broad incumbent Arabic-language news outlet with overlapping digital coverage and larger newsroom resources.
• Al Jazeera: Qatar-based pan-Arab media giant with massive digital reach and Arabic-language news content; competes with ALAYAM for Arabic-speaking reader attention and digital advertising across the region.

Regional players

• Arab News: Pan-Arab English-language daily newspaper headquartered in Saudi Arabia, comparable as a regional multi-platform news publisher with print and digital operations across the GCC.
• Gulf News: Leading UAE-based English-language newspaper with significant digital presence, comparable as a regional multi-platform newspaper publisher serving the GCC market.
• Khaleej Times: UAE-based daily newspaper with print and digital editions, comparable as a regional English-language news publisher competing for GCC readership and advertising.
• Saudi Gazette: Saudi-based English-language daily newspaper with print and digital editions, comparable as a regional newspaper publisher targeting GCC English-speaking audiences.

Direct peers

• Gulf Daily News: English-language daily newspaper in Bahrain, the most direct head-to-head competitor in the same local market with both print and digital editions serving the same readership base.
• Daily Tribune (Bahrain): Bahraini English-language daily newspaper that competes with ALAYAM for local news readership, advertising, and digital subscriptions in the same domestic market.
• Al Bilad (Bahrain): Arabic-language Bahraini newspaper with print and digital editions, directly competing with ALAYAM for Arabic-speaking readers and advertisers in Bahrain.

Emerging players

• Nabd (App): Popular Arabic-language news aggregation platform integrated with ALAYAM's content; competes for reader attention and ad inventory while also functioning as a distribution partner for ALAYAM's RSS feeds.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat3 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights6 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/ALAYAM
• Facebookfacebook.com/ALAYAM

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about ALAYAM Publishing